Digital three-dimensional object manufacturing, also known as digital additive manufacturing, is a process of making a three-dimensional solid object of virtually any shape from a digital model. Three-dimensional object printing is an additive process in which one or more ejector heads eject successive layers of material on a substrate in different shapes. The substrate is supported either on a platform that can be moved three dimensionally by operation of actuators operatively connected to the platform, or the ejector heads are operatively connected to one or more actuators for controlled movement of the ejector heads to produce the layers that form the object. Three-dimensional object printing is distinguishable from traditional object-forming techniques, which mostly rely on the removal of material from a work piece by a subtractive process, such as cutting or drilling. Manufacturing of three-dimensional printed parts using these techniques is ideal for producing small quantities of small and detailed parts. However, for large scale production of large parts, these techniques can be slower and more expensive than many traditional manufacturing techniques, such as injection molding.
Injection molding is a method of manufacturing three-dimensional objects in which molten material is injected into a mold and allowed to cool to form the object. When the material has cooled, the mold is opened to release the formed object. The mold can then be closed and another injection cycle performed to produce another object. Consequently, injection molding techniques are ideal for large numbers of relatively simple parts.
Being able to obtain the high speed and increased throughput available with injection molding techniques in the manufacture of three-dimensional objects with digital additive manufacturing techniques would be beneficial.